In Rwanda, during the tenure of dictature Paul Kagame it is difficult, even impossible to find a journalist who work freely ,some journalists are intimidated, tortured ,killed and jailed because of their works revealing the wrongdoing of authorities and the people who have a close relationship with the RPF.
The 2021 Report of committee to protect Journalists group Puts Rwanda among Worst Jailers of Journalists in Africa and in the world as well.
Increased government intolerance of independent reporting pushed the number of imprisoned journalists in Rwanda to a record high this year, which makes Rwanda to be one of the top incarcerators of Journalist in Africa.
Rwanda is dominating other countries in the list of top Journalist’s incarcerators in 2021 in Africa.
According to the report of Committee to Protect Journalists published today Rwanda is ranked among the countries which have sent journalists behind bars for carrying out their duties.
Number one is Eritrea jailing 16 journalists in 2021; number two is Ethiopia (9); and Rwanda is ranked third with (7) Journalists Jailed in 2021.
In Rwanda, seven of the journalists are YouTubers reflecting the government crackdown on an alternative space for critical commentary and journalism.
The 7 Journalists incarcerated in 2021 are: Niyonsenga Dieudone aka Cyuma Hassan (Ishema TV) , Fidèle Komezusenge (Ishema TV), Christopher Kayumba (The Chronicles) Rachid (Youtuber) Karasira Aimable (Youtuber) Idamange Iryamugwiza Yvonne (Youtuber) and Théoneste Nsengimana of Umubavu TV.
The Journalists imprisoned in Rwanda are accused the crimes related to Genocide Denial, inciting an uprising among the public, and publication of rumours.
“The military regime thinks they can hide their wrongdoing by threatening and arresting independent journalists,” A fled Rwandan Journalist based in Norway told Instinzi.net
As per now a journalist Etienne Gatanazi was forced to close his YouTube channel the Real talk Channel which criticized the wrongdoing of the RPF (the ruling party) and other crimes committed by Rwandan high ranked military officials.
Dozens of Rwandan journalists were in hiding from arrest warrants issued in retaliation against their news reporting activities, others have fled the country into exile.
In Africa other countries which jailed the big number of Journalists in 2021 are; Cameroon (6); Benin (2); Somalia (2); Nigeria (1); Democratic Republic of Congo (1) and the Central African Republic (1).
According to the report, no fewer than 293 journalists have been sent behind bars across the world in 2021 alone with at least 24 journalists killed during the course of discharging their duties.
Also, 18 others died in circumstances that make it too difficult to determine whether they were targeted because of their work, the report said.
This brings the total to 42 journalists killed globally this year, as of December 1, 2021.
The journalist’s incarceration comes amid the political upheaval and media crackdowns reflecting the increasing intolerance for independent reporting around the world.
China continues to be the world’s worst jailer, with CPJ’s 2021 prison census documenting 50 behind bars as the country prepares to host the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022.
It is followed by Myanmar (26), which arrested scores of reporters in a wave of repression following its February 1 military coup.
Other countries that dominate the list outside Africa were Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran, where leaders routinely weaponize tech and security laws to stifle dissent and continue to flout international norms without consequence.
In Europe, Belarus, which infamously diverted a commercial flight from to arrest journalist Raman Pratasevich, now has 19 journalists behind bars – the country’s highest since CPJ started keeping data on imprisoned journalists in 1992.
Joel Simon, the group’s executive director, said in releasing the survey that the relentless climb in the number of jailed journalists reflected differing circumstances by country, but that a common denominator was an increasing unwillingness among authoritarian governments to abide the public release of information that they considered a threat.
“Governments are determined to control and manage information, and they are increasingly brazen in their efforts to do so,” Mr. Simon said. “Imprisoning journalists for reporting the news is the hallmark of an authoritarian regime.”
Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed concern in March about the increasing arrests or prosecutions of those who criticize the Rwandan authorities on the Internet.
Rwanda is ranked 156th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2021 World Press Freedom Index.